'Rivals' Season 2 Will Sex Up the Merry Month of May

The month of May has a particular significance in the world of Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles books. And, like, almost everything else in it, it’s to do with sex. (“First of May, first of May — outdoor f***ing starts today!”) But when May rolls around this year, it’ll have a delicious double meaning, as the highly anticipated Hulu adaptation of Rivals is set to return to our screens for Season 2.

The series ostensibly follows the titular rivalry between former Olympian-turned-Tory politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and ambitious television executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant). The first season followed their fight for the Central South West television franchise, and left the wreckage of both private lives and public relationships in its wake. Season 2 will pick up where its dramatic finale left off, and will have to answer several burning questions of the professional, journalistic, and romantic variety in reasonably short order.

Full of yearning glances, illicit kisses, and double entendres, the Season 2 teaser trailer at least clears up last season’s biggest cliffhanger fairly quickly — Lord Tony Baddingham is just fine after his violent conk on the head. (C’mon, none of you thought this show was really going to get rid of Tennant, did you?)

Here’s the Season 2 synopsis.

The battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches a fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase. More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece, weaponising scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power. 

Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences. As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?

Alongside Tennant and Hassel, the main cast from Season 1 are all reprising their roles. Aidan Turner (Poldark) is news journalist Declan O’Hara, with Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands) as his wife, Maude, Bella Maclean (Sex Education) as their eldest daughter, Taggie, and Catriona Chandler (Pistol) as their younger daughter, Caitlin. Claire Rushbrook (Sherwood) plays Lord Tony’s wife Monica, with Luca Pasqualino as his younger Bail ‘Bas’ Baddingham. Katherine Parkinson (Doc Martin) is romance novelist Lizzie Vereker, with Oliver Chris (My Lady Jane) as her husband Paul, Danny Dyer (Henpocalypse!) as wealthy tech entrepreneur Freddie Jones, and Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) as American TV producer Cameron Cook.

Season 2 will also see the arrival of a pair of new faces: Hayley Atwell (Heartstopper) has been tapped to take over the role of Helen Gordon, Rupert’s ex-wife and the mother of his two children, Marcus and Tabitha. Rupert Everett (The Serpent Queen) will play her husband, Malise Gordon, who is also Rupert’s former show-jumping coach and mentor. 

Other new additions to the series’ ensemble include Maxim Ays (Sanditon), Holly Cattle (Young Sherlock), Oliver Dench (Hotel Portofino), Amanda Lawrence (The Devil’s Hour), Bobby Lockwood (The Tower), Eliot Salt (Industry), and Jonny Weldon (Death in Paradise).

Season 2 is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal), Laura Wade (The Riot Club), Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Kefi Chadwick, Mimi Hare, Clare Namylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, and Dare Aiyegbayo, with Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso), Jamie J. Johnson, and Dee Koppang O’Leary directing. Executive producers include Treadwell-Collins, Wade, Cooper, and Felicity Blunt, along with Jonny Richards for Disney+ EMEA Scripted Content. Eliza Mellor (The Midwich Cuckoos) is the series producer.

Hulu is switching up the release schedule for the series’ second outing, splitting up its super-sized twelve-episode season into two batches. The first will premiere with a three-episode launch in May, while the second half will follow on a date (still to be determined) later in the year.

Rivals Season 2 will premiere on Friday, May 15, with three episodes, with an additional three installments arriving a week later on Friday, May 22, 2026. The series will stream on Hulu in the U.S. (and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers), with Disney+ carrying it internationally.